In vitro interactions of the aromatic retinoids Ro 10-9359 (etretinate) and Ro 10-1670 (acitretin), its main metabolite, with human serum lipoproteins and albumin.

Serum lipoproteins are good carriers for the aromatic retinoid Ro 10-9359 (etretinate) and to a lesser extent for its main metabolite in human Ro 10-1670 (acitretin). Up to about 200 and 130 etretinate molecules and 200 and 70 acitretin molecules can bind to one LDL and one HDL, respectively. In contrast human serum albumin only binds about 10 etretinate or 30 acitretin molecules. In whole human serum loaded with the retinoids, lipoproteins carry approx. 67% of total etretinate or approx. 37% of total acitretin. In the particular case of etretinate, low density lipoproteins account for about 30% of the lipoprotein-carried etretinate.